Richard Watson

Futurist-in-Residence to the Judge Business School at Cambridge University, and previously at Technology Foresight Practice ofImperial College, acclaimed author, innovation blogger and the founder of nowandnext.com a website that documents global trends, Richard Watson is an expert on all aspects of the future. Richard Watson strives to help organisations prepare for current and future trends and scenarios affecting various industries.

Pulling together information from multiple sources, he focuses on strategic foresight and scenario planning.

He has worked with some of the world’s most impressive corporations, including Ministry of Defence, London Business School, McDonald’s, Virgin, IBM, KPMG, Arla Foods, General Electric, and Cambridge University.

Richard is the founder an editor of nowandnext.com, a website that documents global trends and speculates about future risks and opportunities.

He is also a founding member of Futures House - a specialist scenario planning consultancy.

He has written several books including: Future Files: 5 Trends for the Next 50 Years (2007); Future Minds: How the Digital Age is Changing Our Minds (2010). The Future: 50 Ideas you Really Need to Know (2012), Future Vision: Scenarios for the World in 2040 (2012) and Digital Versus Human (2016).

Moreover, he has contributed to various publications worldwide, including Fast Company (US) Retail Banking Review (Aus) and Future Orientation (Denmark), he has become known globally for his role as an innovation blogger.

Richard's areas of expertise include innovation, retail, media, airlines and banking, and his speaking topics include, trends (current and future), strategic foresight or the future of specific industries and customer segments.